Phantom versus Deity
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Loki was having a normal day when he showed up. A mysterious thief who went by the name Phantom Loki shows up out of nowhere. Who is he and why does he call himself Loki? What other surprises are in store for the dark god?
1. Phantom meets Deity

**Phantom meets Deity**

When Night finally exited the Digital World, he was amazed at his first new world! It was almost identical to his own, except there was a certain energy which filled the air. He was relieved when he found out that he spoke the same language as the citizens of the city. But the biggest shock had yet to come!

* * *

Loki was bored, and Mayura was pestering him as usual for new mysteries. Yamino was cleaning and cooking. It wasn't until around midnight that Loki noticed something was amiss.

"Yamino, is it me or is something different?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"Ah well. It can wait until morning. Good night!" said Loki before he went to bed.

* * *

Night was very bored. He silently thanked Loki for whoever came up with the idea for laptops! He was lucky that this world had WiFi (Wireless Internet) or he would have never have survived the night! He decided to visit the museum in the morning. Night fell asleep on a high tree branch, oblivious as a log.

At the museum, Night was admiring the art pieces immensely. But quite a few of them caught and held his attention. The world he left had magic, but apparently so did this one! He could instantly see that several items in the gallery were cursed or bewitched. He would have let them be if he hadn't seen a group of children falling prey to the dark magic. Something had to be done, and Night would be the one to do it.

* * *

"Hey Loki did you hear about the weird letter someone sent to the police last night?" asked Mayura.

"I saw it in the paper. But I don't know who or why someone would send a letter before they steal something. Whoever did this has a serious ego problem!" grumbled Loki. The phone rang and Yamino answered it. He then went up to Loki and told him the news.

"Master Loki, the head of the police would like you to help them protect the art work mentioned in the note."

"Well we don't have anything planned for tonight, so I guess we could go. But Mayura, you have to promise me that you'll stay out of everyone's way, ok?" said Loki before she could even ask to go. He knew her too well.

"Sure thing Loki!" said Mayura happily.

* * *

At the museum, close to the time mentioned, Loki was anxious. Something wasn't right, the police were giving him strange looks the entire night! He couldn't take it any more so he finally confronted the police chief about it.

"Is there something you neglected to mention when you called me?" Loki grumbled.

"Actually there was more on the note than we let on. The perpetrator who sent the note left a calling card near the bottom."

"Mind if I have a look at the card?" asked Loki.

The chief handed Loki the original card and he read the full contents. It wasn't until he saw the name of the crook that he became annoyed.

"Who would go around calling himself 'Phantom Loki'?!" he growled angrily. Now he understood the looks he had been getting.

"That's why we called you. We thought you might know who sent it."

"I don't know who this guy is, but when I find him there'll be some serious explaining to do!" growled Loki as he went back to the art piece.

"It's almost the time mentioned on the card…" muttered Loki. Yamino had seen the look on his face and decided not to ask until Loki was in a better mood.

* * *

The clock rang and the lights suddenly went out all through the museum! Loki and Yamino were the only ones who weren't panicking.

"Master Loki, what happened?"

"A fuse may have blown…"

"One fuse I can understand, but every light going out at the exact same time?! I think someone cut the lights!" exclaimed Yamino. He quickly turned around when he heard a sudden noise from behind.

"What's going on?! What happened to all the lights?!" the man exclaimed.

"Why don't you tell me? Mr. Phantom Loki!" roared Loki.

"Heh, you're smarter than your size lets on…" Phantom Loki said evilly.

"Why are you stealing…" started Loki before the thief cut him off.

"Tell ya what, meet me in the park at midnight and I might explain a few things. Until then…" said Phantom Loki before he vanished. The lights came back mere seconds after he left the building.

"Loki, did you see anyone…?" asked the chief.

"No, he took the piece and left before I could stop him," lied Loki.

"Whoever this thief is, he's good…" muttered the chief. All the police left quickly after that.

"Yamino, lets go home and get ready…" said Loki.

* * *

Night had finished sealing the cursed art with plenty of time to spare before midnight. He decided to wait in the tree until the strange child from the museum arrived. Ironically he didn't have to wait that long. Loki arrived two hours earlier than the specified time.

"If you were hoping to beat me here, you're out of luck." Night laughed.

"Show yourself you imposter!" Loki growled.

"Imposter?! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I mean that stupid alias you used on the card!"

"What's wrong with the nickname of Phantom Loki? I thought it was pretty apt for a phantom thief…" said Night, very confused.

"You're insulting the dark god of Norse mythology! Why did you choose that particular name out of all the others?!"

"Wait a minute…you know about Norse mythology?! Are you a fan of the old folktales as well?"

"I'm not a fan of Norse mythology, I'm part of it!" roared Loki.


	2. Two tricksters collide

**Two tricksters collide**

"You have got to be joking. How can a runt like you be part of the old folktales?" said Night incredulously.

"What is your real name?" said Loki who had started to calm down.

"I'll tell you my name after you tell me yours. Fair enough?"

"Fine. My name is Loki."

He tried not to laugh as Night fell out of the tree in shock! The look he gave Loki was equally amusing.

"Are you saying that you're _the_ Loki?!"

"The one and only." Loki said annoyed.

"What the hell happened to you? Were you banished by your step-brother Odin or something?" asked Night still in shock. He noticed that Loki flinched at the name of his foster brother and the ruler of the gods.

"Never mind that! I told you my name, now tell me yours! Who are you?!"

"My real name is Night."

"Why don't you just call yourself Phantom Night then?" asked Yamino.

"You're joking right? Do you know how ridiculous Phantom Night sounds?!"

"He does have a valid point. Most people think of medieval knights whenever someone says the word," said Loki reasonably.

"Master Loki, what are we going to do with this kid?" asked Yamino.

* * *

Loki was thinking. This Night kid was strange, yet he did have some interesting qualities. He knew that his own home had far too many empty bedrooms anyway.

"Night, where do you live?" asked Loki finally.

He pointed up at the tree with a grin.

"You're lookin' at it!" laughed Night.

"You mean that you don't have a home to go to?!" said Yamino in disbelief.

"Nope. I only came here two days ago…"

"Master Loki, should we take him in?" whispered Yamino. Loki shrugged as if to say, 'Might as well…'

"Night, how would you like to come stay with us?" said Loki.

"I wouldn't mind, but only if it's okay with you guys…" replied Night.

"You can come, but only if you answer one last question," said Loki.

"Go for it…"

"Why did you steal the art piece?"

"The magic inside it was affecting people in negative ways. I took it so I could place a seal on it."

"You stole it to protect innocent people from bad magic?!" exclaimed Loki. He knew the piece had some magical qualities, yet he never noticed anything evil about it!

"I did the same thing where I came from, so it's kind of a habit for me…" said Night with an embarrassed shrug.

* * *

Night wasn't surprised at the size of Loki's mansion. He was impressed at how clean it was.

"Whoever cleans this place must have their work cut out for them," commented Night.

"It's not that big of a problem actually," replied Yamino.

"Wait, do you mean to say that you…?!"

"Yamino cleans and cooks. He also has a strange fascination with mail-order catalogs," commented Loki. Night chuckled at that bit.

"Here's your room; bathroom's four doors down and to the right," said Yamino.

"Arigato, Yamino-san," replied Night.

"We'll chat some more in the morning," said Loki.

"Sounds fine to me…see you in the morning I guess," said Night.

"Until the morning…" replied Loki.

* * *

Night had a hard time going to sleep for a while. He couldn't help running over what happened earlier with running into the Trickster God himself! What were the odds?! He finally fell asleep half an hour later.

"Master Loki, what are you going to do with this stolen artwork?" asked Yamino.

"We'll remove the evil magic from it and leave it out in the open for someone to find. I'm shocked that we never noticed the dark magic when it was right in front of us the whole time!"

Loki and Yamino removed all the evil energy from the artwork and left it near the museum for the guards to find later. Loki looked forward to the next morning when he would have another chat with the strange boy called Night.


	3. Midmorning chats

**Mid-morning chats**

Night was confused at his surroundings at first. It took him a few minutes to remember where he was. When he was fully awake and changed, he went to the bathroom and then proceeded downstairs to the kitchen. He cursed quietly when he finally realized that the sun hadn't even come up! The clock rang at seven, and Night was bored. He heard someone come down the stairs and head in his general direction. It was Yamino.

* * *

"Mornin' Yamino-san!" said Night in a semi-cheerful voice.

"What the…you scared me for a minute there, Night! I'm not used to having someone wake up earlier than me in the morning!" laughed Yamino after he got over the fright Night had given him.

"Where's Loki?"

"Master Loki tends to sleep in."

"Want me to wake him up while you prepare breakfast?" joked Night.

"I wouldn't mind if you did, actually. Just try not to scare Master Loki like you did me!" laughed Yamino.

"I'll try, but I won't make any promises on that!"

* * *

While Night headed back upstairs he spotted a metal bucket out in the open. That was when he had a very evil and sneaky trick worthy of the Trickster god himself! (Watch out Loki, your rival has come to wake you up!)

He crept into Loki's room and silently opened the door. He noticed that he didn't need to be so quiet, as Loki slept like a log. He prepared to let loose his devious prank. And the reaction he got would startle Yamino and Loki!

"AAARGH! WHO THREW WATER ON ME?!" roared Loki in shock and fury.

"Good…Morning…to…you…too!" said Night between laughs.

"Why I outta…!" said Loki angrily.

"Master Loki are you…" said Yamino as he rushed into the room. He failed to finish his sentence as he saw the bucket in Night's hand and Loki sopping wet!

"Sorry Yamino, I just couldn't resist!" said Night laughing.

Loki had finally calmed down from the initial shock of the cold water waking him up to look at Night and gave him one of his own evil grins.

"I have to admit Night, that was a good mischief-making trick!" said Loki grinning.

"Yamino said I could wake you up, and when I saw the bucket I couldn't help myself!" said Night, returning the mischievous grin.

"Master Loki we should get you out of those wet clothes…" said Yamino.

* * *

Night waited at the table while Loki got dressed and came down. He sat in his usual spot and looked at his new houseguest.

"I must admit, that was the first time someone's pulled a trick on me!" Loki laughed.

"If I hadn't seen the bucket then I probably wouldn't have done it."

"You have a natural knack for creating mischief, I'll give you that," replied Loki.

Yamino came in with breakfast and all talking ceased as they ate their meal. Loki went up to the study and Night followed him. Yamino stayed downstairs to do dishes.

* * *

"I think now's a good time to finish that talk we had last night, wouldn't you agree?" asked Loki.

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you cut the lights in the museum?"

"They didn't think to put a firewall on their programming so I hacked into it. It was a piece of cake for me."

"How were you able to sense the evil magic inside the art piece?"

"Back home me and my cousin steal enchanted or cursed artwork to seal it. My cousin has quite the reputation as a Phantom Thief."

"Why did you leave home?"

"Family problems. My dad and I couldn't get along so I left before my sanity snapped."

"So far you're making sense. Continue," said Loki.

"I'm guessing that you're wondering why I choose you out of all the other gods…"

"That _has_ crossed my mind…"

"It's because you and I are so alike. I enjoy tricking people and I often act mischievous. My favorite element is fire and I always try to help people," replied Night.

"You're starting to scare me now…" said Loki.


	4. Phantom Thief and the hawk

**Phantom Thief and the hawk**

A week after Night started living at Loki's home, he meet another deity from Norse mythology. It was none other than the guardian of the gates to Asgard, Heimdall! He accidentally bumped into the god while walking down the street.

* * *

"Watch where you're going!" snarled Heimdall.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Whatever…"

"What's your name kid?" asked Night.

"Higashiyama Kazumi," answered Heimdall.

"Nice try. What's your real name?"

Heimdall was startled at what Night said. How did this boy know that Kazumi wasn't his actual name?!

"What's your name?!"

"I'm Night."

"You can call me Heimdall."

Night gave him a strange look and said, "Mind if I call you hawk-boy instead?"

"How do you…?"

"I live with an immature Trickster," answered Night.

"You share the same house as Loki?!"

"Don't even get me started…"

* * *

In the park, Heimdall was having a lively chat with his new friend Night.

"So you woke him up by throwing water on him?!" said Heimdall laughing.

"Yamino said I could wake him up; he didn't specify _how_ to wake the Trickster up. You should have seen his face when I dumped the water on him! It was priceless!" laughed Night evilly.

"Why did Loki take you in anyway?" asked Heimdall.

"Probably because I used him in an alias of mine…"

"What alias?"

"Have you heard of the Phantom Thief Loki?"

"Who hasn't…I've wondered why Loki started stealing things!"

"That was me. I play tricks on others while I'm stealing artwork so I used him as an alias. Kinda apt if you think about it…"

"So true…" muttered Heimdall.

* * *

They finally realized half an hour later that they had been talking until it became dark. Night started back towards Loki's house when Heimdall turns and says, "If you want to confuse Loki, tell him that you were talking to a hawk and lost track of time."

"So you want me to refer to you as Hawk whenever Loki is around?" asked Night.

"I'd prefer it if you did…"

"Guess I'll see you later, Hawk!"

* * *

"Night where were you?!" exclaimed Loki.

"I spent the whole day talking to a Hawk and completely lost track of time. Sorry…" grumbled Night.

"You were talking to a hawk all day? You never said anything about being able to talk to birds…" said Loki.

"You don't want to know…"

The next encounter with the Norse deities would shake Night up considerably.


	5. The Shadow returns

**The Shadow returns**

Night woke up as he usually did, before Yamino and cranky. But his normal crankiness had become worse and worse lately, and Loki was concerned.

"Man, my heart feels heavier than usual…oh shit! It can't be!" exclaimed Night in horror.

* * *

Yamino was coming downstairs when he heard Night swear out loud. This got on his nerves and he went to confront Night about his language when he realized something was wrong with him. 

"Night, what's the matter?!" said Yamino.

"Shadow…he's…trying…to…" but Night never finished his sentence as another spasm of pain ran rampant through his body. Loki had woken up on his own and came down to see what the ruckus was about.

"Yamino, what's with all the…" started Loki when he saw Night.

Night was curled up into a ball, and he was clearly in a great deal of pain.

"Night what's wrong?!"

"Shadow! He's…breaking…free!" said Night between gasps.

* * *

**"_Fwahahahaha…you can't keep me locked up forever! I shall be free again!"_** said an evil being known as Shadow.

* * *

"AARGH!" cried Night as Shadow finally broke through most of the chains at once. If Shadow broke loose, he would lose all control over his body! 

"Loki…I…have…to warn…you…about…Shadow!"

"What about this Shadow?"

"If…he breaks…free I'll…lose all…control…over my…body!"

"Who is Shadow?" asked Yamino.

"He's my…father. In…my family…all the boys…go through a…rite of…passage where…they are…killed to…bring…Shadow out!"

"What can we do to stop him?" asked Loki.

"When he…finally breaks…free you…have to seal…him back…inside me! It's…the only…way to…stop him!"

"What kind of magic does he specialize in?"

"Your kind. He…uses…mostly…evil or…malicious…magic!"

"Master Loki are you…?" said Yamino.

"I think we can stop this Shadow and gain a lot of evil energy at the same time…Night, is Shadow afraid of snakes?"

"Only…Migardsomr…could survive…a…encounter…with that…teme!"

"Is he really that powerful?" asked Yamino. Night vaguely noticed the look on his face.

"If…you…count…his ability…to control lifeless…bodies as…powerful…then yes!"

"Yamino…" said Loki.

* * *

"I understand…_father…"_

Night looked in shock as Yamino started to glow. Slowly the four-eyed man he knew began turning into the stuff of nightmares.

"You…mean Yamino…is really…Migardsomr?!"

"_Yes-s-s…I am really the Midgard S-s-serpent…"_

Night laughed painfully.

"You can…drop the hissing…sound…Migardsomr-san!"

Shadow had almost broken through the last binding chain. Night was withering in pain as his evil father broke through at last.

**

* * *

"_What is the meaning of this?!"_** growled Shadow as he came out of Night. He was stunned to find that his son was sleeping in the coils of one _very large and very mean serpent!_

"_Are you the one known as-s S-s-shadow?"_ it hissed coldly.

**"_Depends on who's asking…"_**

"_I am Migardsomr. If you don't return back to the seal peacefully, then I will have to eat you…"_

**"_Did you say Migardsomr?! You mean you're that blasted Serpent that my foolish son named his damn snake friend after?!"_**

"_S-s-snake friend? What s-s-snake friend? He never mentioned this…"_

**"**_**He didn't did he? Then I'll show you what I'm referring to!"** _griped Shadow as he held up a very long, and highly pissed Serpent!

**"Migardsomr…it's a pleasure to finally meet you…"** it said.

"_Are you Night's serpent friend?"_

**"I am; I'm also part of the chain that binds this bastard inside Night."**

"I think that you lot have talked long enough…" said Loki.

Loki began chanting in his native tongue and Shadow roared in anger.

**"_NO! I WILL NOT BE BOUND AGAIN!"_**

* * *

Night's snake friend began to coil around Shadow once more. But then something prevented him from continuing further. It was a _hawk feather?_

"That's far enough…" said Heimdall.

"_Heimdall?! What are you doing here?!" _said Migardsomr in shock.

"I came to see why you showed up. What's wrong with Night?"

"_His father came out."_

"So Shadow finally came out to play…"

**"Who are you and why did you stop my binding spell?!"** growled Migardsomr the snake.

"The name's Heimdall. I stopped you because I was going to bind Shadow with my feathers…"

Loki stopped chanting and sent the seal towards Shadow. Heimdall let loose a flurry of divine feathers which encased the evil Shadow. Migardsomr the snake dropped down into the real Midgard Serpent's coils.

**"**_**NO!!!!!!!!!!"** _cried Shadow as he was once again sealed But this time the binding was different. Shadow went back without a struggle, which the snake thought was highly suspicious.

**"Something's not right; Shadow shouldn't be going in so smoothly…"**

"_He's going in quietly because father is draining almost all of his evil energy. He's powerless against three deities!"_ answered Migardsomr.

Finally, Shadow was bound back inside Night's soul, this time the seal was stronger. Loki and Heimdall went to Night and were relieved to find that he was still alive. Shadow's appearance was so brief that Night had come out unharmed, but he was unconscious for two days straight.


	6. Evil child on the loose

**Evil child on the loose**

_(I swore I wouldn't add commentary to my fanfics, but I have to say something about this particular title. Evil Child on the Loose is actually a nickname that my friend Akidoshi and I came up with on the IM window. It's highly apt actually; if you think about how evil I am to my characters…Back to the fanfic!)_

Night woke up to see an-all-too-familiar-snake in his face.

"ACK! Migardsomr, what have I told you about sticking your face in mine?!"

The serpent laughed and called out, **"He finally woke up, Loki-san!"**

* * *

"Afternoon, Night. I see you finally recovered from that little incident with your evil father," said Loki, with a strange expression on his face. 

"What happened…" said Night, concerned about the look.

"We bound Shadow like you told us to, but there were a few things that happened after we took most of his evil energy…" said Yamino.

"You did what?!"

"I absorbed most of his dark energy so he would go back without fighting me. But I never expected this!"

"What's wrong? Did my father's energy hurt you or what…?"

"No, no, I wasn't hurt by the energy. I was just shocked at how much evil power your father had inside him! Most evil beings hold a medium amount of actual evil in them, but he had the highest amount I've ever seen!"

"And that means…?" asked Night.

**"See for yourself. Show him Loki…"**

Loki went from a runt to his true form!

* * *

"What the…?! How did…?!" 

"_Your father had so much evil energy stored inside him that I was able to return to my original form. But I still can't get back to Asgard, despite all that energy. Thanks to your father I can now switch forms whenever I want…"_

"So what happens to me now?"

"First you need to get better. That little incident gave you quite a fever. We'll talk when you fully recover," answered Yamino.

"_I recommend you get some sleep…we'll discuss this later…"_

Night's eyes were closing tiredly. He mumbled something and fell back asleep. Loki chuckled and went back to his chibi-form.

* * *

A few days later Loki and Night finally talked about what happened. 

"So what happens now, Loki?"

"You're more than welcome to stay here if you like. But I do have one question," replied Loki.

"Let me guess…it's about Migardsomr the snake."

"Yup. Where on Midgard did you find him?"

"I didn't find him on Midgard or earth. I found him by accident when I was trying to find a place where I could finally be free from _him_."

"What happened when you two first met?"

"Migardsomr, why don't you tell him? You remember it better than I do."

Here's how Migardsomr and Night met:

_

* * *

Flashback to four months earlier… _

"Where am I?" said Night.

**"WHO DARES-S-S TO ENTER MY DOMAIN?!"** roared a large creature.

"I am Night, and I have no intention of bothering you."

**"We s-s-shall s-s-see about that…"**

Night was frozen in horror as a large, monstrous snake came slithering out of the cave. The serpent locked him in place by looking him in the eye. (Luckily for Night, this particular snake _wasn't_ a basilisk or he would have been dead then and there!)

"I-I-I d-didn't m-mean to intrude upon your domain!" stammered Night.

**"Why have you come to my lair?"**

"I stumbled across this by accident! I don't want to bother you!"

**"Wis-s-se choice. I've decided not to eat you for the time being…be grateful boy,"** said the snake. He started to slither back into his lair when Night found the courage to ask him something.

"Um, what is your name?"

The snake stopped and turned around to face this mortal. He was mildly amused that the human dared to ask such a question when he just spared his life.

**"I have no name. I s-s-simply exis-s-st."**

"Why don't you have a name?"

**"Becaus-s-se I was-s-s never given one. You and your kind have always-s-s referred to me as-s mons-s-ster."**

"I don't think that you're really a monster. People have always feared that which they cannot understand."

The snake looked at the boy in shock. This was the first time a human had come to his lair and didn't call him a monster. He was starting to like this kid.

"If you don't have a name, then maybe I can help you. That way people might quit calling you monster all the time…"

**"It would be a nice change of pace…"**

"You really remind me of another serpent who was deemed a monster and banished."

**"I have never heard of another s-s-serpent like that."**

"It's in Norse mythology. The second son of the dark god Loki, Jormungandr, was banished from the world of the gods out of fear. He was one of the precursors to Ragnarok, or the end of days. He grew so large that he could encircle the world just by biting his tail."

The snake was surprised, as he had heard something similar to that a long time ago. But he didn't see what this had to do with him.

**"What's-s-s your point?"**

"You're pretty big for a snake…too big to be called a Basilisk or anything close. The only name I can think of that would fit you is Migardsomr, or the Midgard Serpent."

**"What is-s-s Midgard anyway?!"**

"Midgard is another name for 'middle earth', or our world."

The serpent thought over Night's new name for him, and thought about what he learned. He decided that he actually liked it a lot!

**"Very well…you may call me Migardsomr if you want…"**

* * *

Suddenly they both heard a commotion outside the forest. It seemed that the humans who lived nearby had had it with Migardsomr and were determined to get rid of him once and for all!

* * *

"What should we do? I refuse to leave here until I know that you're safe!" said Night. 

**"I don't know. I haven't bothered them that much, so why do they want to kill me? I have no treasure to steal!"**

"I don't like this one bit. I think it would be best if you left this world and came with me…"

The snake was a little confused by what he meant.

**"Define leaving this world behind…"**

"I mean travel with me to other worlds. I could use the company…"

The people were coming closer to the cave with each passing second. Migardsomr had two options. Either he left with Night and lived, or he could stay and be killed by the humans. He realized that he _did_ want to live.

**"I'm coming with you. I was beginning to tire of this existence anyway…"**

_End flashback…_

(These events happened after the episode where Loki's true form is seen for the first time. What happens next involves the episode they in which they introduce Fenrir.)


	7. Night's new traveling companion

**Night's new traveling companion…**

A week after Loki learned about how the snake and the trickster met, yet another surprise was in store for them. Mayura was pining over dogs when she remembered that she didn't have enough to buy one. She was walking towards the park when she felt something fly over her! She goes to investigate what it was to find…_a small black puppy?!_

Her father wouldn't let her keep it; though he did let the puppy stay until they could find him a new home. That night, lights all over town went out. It didn't matter whether it was electric or not; if it lit up, it went out. She didn't even learn of the incident until she went to Loki's the next day.

* * *

"I don't know if Master Loki will allow a puppy to stay here. After all, we do have Night and his snake living here too," said Yamino.

"Where is Loki anyway?" asked Mayura.

Yamino turned the TV on to the news. The first thing that they mention was the bizarre black out the night before.

"There was a black out last night?!"

"You mean you didn't hear about it? It was the main article in the paper this morning. Loki said it didn't feel right and went to investigate it," said Night. His snake, which Loki and Yamino referred to as 'Jormund' came slithering in behind him.

The black puppy barked at the serpent, which turned towards him and gave him a look. It examined the dog briefly, then curled up around Night and took a nap.

"Night, why does that snake follow you?" asked Mayura nervously.

"Jormund follows me because he feels like it. I don't mistreat him and he follows me around. I thought you were used to him by now silly!"

The puppy barked again and Yamino abruptly changed the subject. Jormund briefly woke up when he noticed Yamino become surprised. He figured it was the dog again and went back to sleep.

* * *

An hour later Mayura and the puppy left to find Loki. She spazzed out again and followed the dog through one of her 'fantasy' moments. The puppy led her to a stand which a certain god worked at. It was Narugami, or as Loki liked to call him Narukami. Narukami was in fact the Norse god of thunder, Thor. She bought the dog a treat and they ate it on a park bench.

Suddenly the dog vanished after every light went out without a warning. Loki barely saved her from being run over in the dark. He went to face the culprit of the black out and Mayura carefully made her way back to her house.

* * *

"Just as I suspected…it's Hati, the wolf who chases the moon," said Loki.

"Master Loki, is he the one causing the black outs?" asked Yamino.

"So it would seem."

Hati started to charge Loki when a flurry of black wings appeared before him. It was Night.

"That's enough Hati! Leave Loki alone!" he commanded.

The wolf looked at him angrily when he saw the glow of Night's eyes. He decided against attacking Night. It ran away and the lights came back on moments after.

* * *

The next morning, Mayura came to the agency sadly.

"So you still haven't found your puppy?" asked Yamino.

"No…and I looked everywhere for him…" replied Mayura. She then noticed the map of the city that Loki and Night had spread out on the table. Loki had placed a chess piece on one particular spot and Mayura exclaimed, "That's it! That's where I found the puppy!"

It was the same park that Loki had placed the chess piece on.

Mayura and the others went to the park in search for clues. She started blabbering on about aliens or some such nonsense when they arrived at the crash site. Suddenly the sun went out and everything became dark. Something jumped overhead and knocked Mayura into the crater where she passed out.

* * *

Hati barely attacked Loki; which only enraged Yamino enough to transform into his true form. Migardsomr coiled around Hati and started to squeeze the life out of him when another wolf appeared. It was the counterpart of Hati; Skoll, the wolf who chases the sun.

"It's Skoll! So he's been here all along!" said Loki as he dodged an attack. Skoll went after Loki again only to be stopped by a black blur of fur. It was the dog Mayura had found.

"Hey there, Fenrir!" said Loki happily.

"Daddy!" barked Fenrir.

"_Can that really be my older brother?!"_ exclaimed Migardsomr as Fenrir reverted back to his real body.

Night flew in with black wings and said to them, "Leave Hati to me. I have an idea!"

"Fine by me." Fenrir snorted. He and Migardsomr turned their attention to Skoll. Night went to Hati and looked him in the eye.

* * *

Hati gave a low snarl; he didn't like this one bit. Night held out his hand to Hati and the wolf sniff at it quizzically. He realized that Night had more power than he let on. Hati barked and sat down. Night smiled and petted the wolf gently.

"Good, Hati…"

* * *

Skoll, on the other hand, was killed by the combined effort of the two brothers. After the battle, Loki and his sons went to Night and the other wolf.

"Night, what's going on here?" said Loki in surprise.

"What does it look like?" answered Night.

"I don't believe it…Hati is acting like a pet?!" exclaimed Yamino.

"I wouldn't call him a pet…he's more like a new friend!" corrected Night. At that, Hati slowly shrank down to a normal canine size. He looked exactly the same as he did before, only now he was smaller.

"I think we should go home, don't you agree?" said Loki.

* * *

Loki was cooing over the fact that Fenrir had finally come back when Mayura came by.

"Ah, there's Mayura! You wait here while I go get some food!" said Loki happily.

"You're a cruel person, er dog, you know that? How was I supposed to know that you were really my older brother?!" said Yamino, upset.

"Dude, I get so nervous whenever the old man's around!" said Fenrir in his real voice.

He call his younger brother a 'daddy's boy', which really described Fenrir more than Yamino. He went from bossy older brother to puppy-eyed daddy's boy in two seconds flat when Loki returned.

"What was that about being a daddy's boy?" snickered Night. Hati and Jormund were curled up in his room asleep. It had been a long day for them.


	8. The beating of the rugs

**The beating of the rugs**

Hati and Fenrir slowly grew to tolerate each other's presence. Loki said that Hati could stay so long as he didn't try to attack anyone. Mayura was relieved when Jormund quit following Night around and spent the day with Hati instead. A few days after Fenrir and Hati came, something amusing happened.

Yamino and the others had left the house to go shopping, leaving Night and his friends alone in the house.

* * *

"Well, since they did let us stay here for free, I think we should help around the house!" said Night. 

Hati and Jormund gave him a look that clearly said, 'define WE'. Night chuckled, then rephrased the sentence.

"Correction, Me, Myself and I are going to help around the house while you two do nothing." Night laughed.

They fell asleep as Night went to do a little housework. The first thing he did was open the windows to let some fresh air in. Then he rounded up the rugs around the house and hung them up on the close line. He planned on beating the rugs to get rid of all the petrified dust Yamino missed while vacuuming.

"Hmm…something's missing…but what?" muttered Night. Then it hit him. He went up to his room and retrieved his CD player and a few cds to play. This would make the work go a lot faster!

* * *

Loki and the others were returning when they heard someone singing. They could easily make out the lyrics through the background music. 

_I am not a child now,_

_I can take care of myself,_

_I mustn't let them down now,_

_Mustn't let them see me cry, _

_I'm fine, I'm fine._

_----------_

_I'm too tired to listen,_

_I'm too old to believe,_

_All these childish stories,_

_There is no such thing as faith, and trust in pixie dust_

_I try, but it's so hard to believe,_

_I try ,but I can't see what you see,_

_I try, I try, I try_

_---------_

_My whole world is changing,_

_I don't know where to turn,_

_I can't leave you waiting,_

_I can't stay and watch the same burn,_

_Watch it burn,_

--------

'_Cause I try, but it's so hard to believe,_

_I try, but I can't see what you see,_

_I try, I try, _

_I try and try to understand the distance in between,_

_The love I feel and the things I fear and every single dream,_

_---------_

_I can finally see it,_

_Now I have to believe,_

_All those precious stories,_

_All the world is made of faith and trust in pixie dust_

_---------_

_So I'll try, cause I finally believe,_

_I'll try, 'cause I can see what you see,_

_I'll try, I'll try, I will try_

_I'll try…to fight._

* * *

Loki and the others were curious as to who was singing. It seemed as if the singing was coming from the house! They came around the corner just in time to hear the singer do another song: 

_Hey dad, look at me,_

_Think back and talk to me,_

_Did I grow up according to plan_

_-------_

_And do you think I'm wasting my time,_

_Doing things that I want to do,_

_But it hurts when you disapprove all along,_

_-------_

_And now I try hard to make it,_

_I just want to make you…proud,_

_I'm never going to be good enough for you,_

_Can't pretend that I'm all right,_

_And you can't change me,_

------

'_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect,_

_Now it's just too late,_

_And we can't go back,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect_

_--------_

_I try not to think,_

_About the pain I feel inside,_

_Did you know you used to be my hero,_

_-------_

_All the days you spent with me,_

_Now seem so far away,_

_And it feels like you don't care anymore,_

_-------_

_And now I try hard to make it,_

_I just want to make you…proud,_

_I'm never going to be good enough for you,_

_Can't stand another fight,_

_And nothing's all right,_

------

'_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect,_

_Now it's just too late,_

_And we can't go back,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect_

_--------_

_Nothing's gonna change the things that you said,_

_And nothing's going to make this right again,_

_-------_

_Please don't turn your back,_

_I can't believe its hard just to talk to you, _

_But you don't understand_

-------

'_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect,_

_Now it's just too late,_

_And we can't go back,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect_

-------

'_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect,_

_Now it's just too late,_

_And we can't go back,_

_I'm sorry I can't be…perfect_

When the came through the gate, they were stunned. The one they had heard singing was Night! He was oblivious to the others as he finished the last rug. He turned around and saw them; he was embarrassed that they actually heard him singing along to his favorite songs.

* * *

"You were pretty good, Night!" said Loki in amazement. 

"Um, thanks, I guess…" stammered Night.

"What were you doing anyway?" asked Yamino.

"I was airing out the rugs and getting the dust you missed while vacuuming. I can't believe you guys actually heard me!"

"You were singing pretty loud…" muttered Fenrir.

"At least you can hold a tune…" said Loki.

"I'll go get supper ready," said Yamino.

"I'll bring the rugs back in a few minutes," said Night.

* * *

That night, Loki made an odd request. 

"Night, do you know any other songs like the ones you were singing earlier?"

"Yup, I know most of the songs on this CD by heart. Why do you ask?"

"Well I don't mind you singing while you're doing some of the chores…provided that you can hold a tune while doing it!"

**(By the way, I got those songs off of a mix CD my older sister made me. I was listening to them and typing the lyrics! The first song is from Peter Pan 2 and the other is from Simple Plan titled "Perfect". I hope you enjoyed them!)**


	9. A new alter ego?

**A new alter ego?**

After the incident with the rugs, Night was happier than ever! Loki put him in charge of the laundry and the windows. Because of this, Night played and sung along to many of his favorite songs. (Secretly everyone in the household was glad he could actually carry a tune!)

* * *

After a run in with the three Norn sisters, Loki realized something he'd been trying to ignore all this time. He had grown to like Night and finally realized why. It was because Night was practically Loki's twin! But the one bound within Night's soul, Shadow, concerned him greatly. It was clear that Argentine and Night were no match for the evil Shadow, and eventually he would kill Night; but only if Loki decided _not_ to intervene.

* * *

"What's wrong daddy?" asked Fenrir.

"I was just thinking about Night and his two alter egos…"

"What about them?"

"I can't decide whether or not I should help him deal with Shadow or just let the whole matter slide…if I leave him the way he is now, he'll die for certain."

"This Shadow is that powerful?!" exclaimed Fenrir.

"After I absorbed a majority of his evil energy I was able to switch back between my childish and true forms."

"He must be powerful if he had _that_ much evil in him!"

"Now you know why I'm having trouble deciding…" muttered Loki.

* * *

"I think you should intervene," said a familiar voice from the window.

"What the…Heimdall! What are you doing here?!" exclaimed Loki and Fenrir in unison.

"I was passing by and I thought I heard singing. I came to see what was going on."

"That's Night…he's doing laundry. I told him he could sing if he wanted to so the work would go faster and he started doing it."

"That explains a few things…" mumbled Heimdall.

"You might as well come in. Though I recommend that you watch where you sit down. Hati and Jormund don't like being sat on…"

"Thanks for the warning…" grumbled Heimdall.

* * *

Heimdall and Loki discussed whether helping Night was a good idea or not. Sometimes good intentions go astray and lead to disaster. In the end, it was Jormund who finally settled the debate.

**"Will you two drop the subject already?! If you want to know whether or not saving Night is a good idea all you had to do was ask me!"**

"Well? Should we intervene or not?"

**"Definitely! You have NO idea how hard it was to hold Shadow back for all those months! He will kill if he gets the chance. He has NO thought about what happens to the loved ones of those he killed."**

"In that case, we definitely have to intervene!" said Loki.

"Yeah, the only question now is, how do we stop Shadow?"

**"Well Night is nearly a Loki's double…"**

"Tell me about it…" griped Loki and Heimdall.

**"So why don't you give him some of your divine powers? You know, like creating a third alter ego!"**

"That might actually work," said Loki.

"Master Loki, suppers ready! Oh, I didn't know you had company!" exclaimed Yamino.

"You might as well stay for dinner Heimdall…" said Fenrir.

* * *

Night was shocked to find out that Heimdall would be joining them for dinner! At least it was a change of pace… 


	10. The ritual

**The ritual**

What occurred a week later was something that was unheard of. It was so preposterous that if anyone found out about it they'd never believe it! What could possibly fall under this category?

* * *

Heimdall and Loki joining forces and actually getting along without yelling! Loki had already made the arrangements with Yamino. Night was not to be told about it until it was ready and Mayura must NOT interrupt them at any point! The only place this could be accomplished was Heimdall's apartment. He made sure that Freyr didn't get in the way by making Gullinbursti disappear for a while. (Freyr would be too busy trying to find his flying metal pig to disturb Heimdall. And Gullinbursti couldn't get out until Heimdall release him personally!)

"Are the circles ready?" asked Heimdall.

"Almost. Give me a few another minute and then we can get started," replied Loki.

The circles Loki was drawing looked a lot like the alchemic kind. They were close, but not quite in the same category.

"And…done. You ready to get started Heimdall?"

"Let's get this thing started."

* * *

They knew that Odin was most likely watching them in disbelief. If they could have seen his face when he realized he wasn't seeing things, they both would have had a good laugh!

* * *

Heimdall started to chant and Loki brought out his staff. The circles slowly started to glow eerily. Feathers of all shapes and sizes flew through the air. They began to encase the two gods who were protected inside the circles. Then the circles themselves began to levitate. Heimdall finished his spell and Loki handed him the staff.

Loki started chanting his own spell; which had similar, yet very different results. A second set of circles started to glow below the first. The feathers started flying again, only this time they were joined by a divine flame enveloping the room. A cloud of darkness shielded the two as Loki continued his chant. Heimdall kept a firm grip on the crescent moon staff as it started to glow violently. Finally Loki finished his half of the spell.

"So far, so good…" said Loki.

"Now for the boring part…" griped Heimdall.

Both gods took hold of the moon-shaped staff and began chanting in complete synch with one another. It was creepy to hear; it was almost as if they were speaking in one voice! They had to keep this up until the sun rose 12 hours later. (They started this at 7:00)

* * *

The next morning, Loki and Heimdall were finishing the chant, both weary from the magic required. Fortunately they could take an hour's rest after they finished it. Finally, their chanting ceased.

"Man, I forgot how hard it was to keep that up for twelve hours straight!" said Heimdall.

"Yeah really! At least we're nearly half-way done!"

"Ugh, this is soooo tiring! Just being around you gives me a headache!" griped Heimdall.

"It's almost time to start the hardest part…you ready?" asked Loki.

"Let's get this thing started!" said Heimdall as he stood back up.

* * *

The hardest part about the ritual was the shaping of the soul. Once they completed that they could finish the rest quickly.

They started with the basics. They both agreed on the soul being male and around their true height. Then came the first roadblock. Hair color and style.

"I agree on the part about the hair being similar to ours as well as Nights, but I don't think reddish-brown hair would look right!" said Heimdall.

"You may have a valid point…should we go with bluish-purple?"

"That might work…"

The hair color decided, now came the basic hairstyle.

"I think we should go with his original hair and lose some of the spikiness. It looks too much like something off an anime!" said Heimdall.

"True. But we definitely can't go with yours…"

"Why not?!" growled Heimdall.

"Your hair blocks your right eye, remember? His depth perception would be hindered by the hair."

"Good point. A combo of yours and his?" suggested Heimdall.

"Works for me. We'll add a bit of yours in the mix, just to shake things up a little."

* * *

The hair finally finished, next came the facial features. This is one of the few things that had both of them in a heated argument. Finally they settled on three things.

"So the right eye will be the one you lost and the left will be…" said Loki.

"The left will be Night's original eye. But what about the color?"

"It wouldn't look right if they were different colors…how about a crimson red?" suggested Loki.

"That works for me. At least the colors won't clash!" laughed Heimdall.

"But how should the eyes themselves look like?"

"Let's stick with Night's normal eye pattern. That would work better than ours would…"

"True. But what about the rest?"

"Let's mix up all three and see what the result is. If it looks bad we can always go back and fix it!" said Heimdall.

"Works for me."

* * *

Now came the easiest part. The rest of the body was easy compared to the hair and facial features!

"We'll definitely stick with Night's normal legs. He's more graceful than we are on a good day!" said Heimdall.

"And the upper body?" asked Loki.

"Which of us has more muscle?"

"Probably you. But we have to keep the arms limber. That will make his lock-picking a lot easier." Loki said reasonably.

"And the feet?"

"Narrow, yet not too small. If they're big then he'll be clumsy!"

* * *

The body finished at last, now came the final part. When they did this, they would be finished for the day. The final detail? Magical and divine ability.

Loki put the most magic into the soul; Heimdall put in half as much as Loki. All they needed was Night's natural magic. That's where they were stuck.

"Great. How the hell are we supposed to finish this and keep it a secret from Night?!" griped Heimdall.

**"I believe we may be able to assist you on that part."**

"Jormund and Hati?! Where did you…?!"

"We followed you two and waited until you needed Night's inherited Magic," barked Hati.

"What kind of magical abilities does Night have anyway?" asked Heimdall.

**"He has many abilities; several of which he isn't even aware of."**

"Name a few of them," said Loki.

**"He can control creatures with lunar powers. And he can manipulate any shadow at will. Though I doubt he'll ever use that one…"**

"Can we finish this? I really need a nap…" said Heimdall with a tired yawn.

Hati and Jormund walked up to the soul and placed all the magic that had been changed or affected by Night's soul. It was more than Jormund and Hati had realized. Then came the final contributor; one that none of them expected! It was a strange floppy-eared rabbit-like creature with red eyes!

**"Kyu!"** it said as it placed the final magic into the soul. Finally it was ready.


	11. Completing the ritual

**Completing the ritual**

After a long nap, Loki and Heimdall were ready to finish the ritual. They once again stepped into the circles and held onto Loki's staff as they chanted. Soon the soul would be complete and things might go back to normal. (At least, that's what they hoped would happen!)

* * *

Gradually the chanting began to speed up. Both gods had a hard time chanting with the other. Slowly they realized something was wrong. Their chanting never ceased as they finally figured out what was wrong. They had done everything else right, but they didn't add the main spell. The spell of life.

Little did they realize that it was already in the soul. The rabbit-like creature was in fact, from Night's family. His name was Wiz, Dark's familiar. How he knew where and when to come will never be known. The soul quickly began to glow and the two gods were shocked when it started chanting its own spell! When Heimdall and Loki finished, the soul released its spell moments after.

* * *

"What the hell just happened?!" exclaimed Heimdall.

"I don't know…but maybe our creation does…"

The soul chuckled and said, _**"Of course I know what happened. That rabbit-like fur ball just saved your ass!"**_

"WHAT?!" said the two gods in unison.

**"_That little fur ball was from Night Niri's original family. It added the wings that all the heirs receive and gave the touch of new life. If Wiz hadn't showed up and put his magic in me, you two would be in serious trouble right now."_**

"I don't think I can take much more of this…" Heimdall groaned.

"Can we continue this discussion _after_ we get some sleep?" asked Loki.

* * *

After the two gods slept for two days straight, they were ready to face this headache.

"Okay, so you know who you are and why we brought you into being," said Loki, wanted to make sure.

**"_I am a third alter ego for Night; my main purpose is to keep Shadow from having his way."_**

"Hey Loki, did we name him yet?!" said Heimdall when he realized something they forgot.

"Thanks for reminding me…so what do you want to be called?" asked Loki.

**"_I would like to be called…Kitsune Kaito."_**

"You want to be called 'Phantom Fox Spirit'?!" said Loki incredulously.

**"_You asked what name I wanted to be called. It's the only one that suits me best!"_**

"Kaito does have a point. Night is a Phantom thief; plus foxes are known to be clever tricksters and mischief makers!" said Heimdall.

"Then you'll be known as Kitsune Kaito or Kaito for short."

* * *

Now came the part they all dreaded. They didn't know how they were going to get Kaito into Night!

"I wonder…" said Loki finally.

"What is it Loki?"

"You know how they say words can bind people?"

"Yeah, that's what this country is known for. Why?"

"Kaito, do you know the words to any of Night's favorite songs?"

"I see what you're getting at. That might work!"

**"_I know all of them, but the real question is, which one do we use?"_**

"I know just the one…" answered Jormund.


	12. Divine intervention

**Divine intervention**

Night was about to do the laundry when Loki walked up to him.

* * *

"Hey, Night, I was wondering if you could play that 'falling' CD while you're doing laundry," said Loki. 

"It's not 'Falling'. It's called _Fallen_. Are you in the mood for Rock music today?" asked Night.

"Yup. I was hoping that you'd play the remix one. Is that okay?"

"That's really weird. I was thinking of playing that CD today anyway!" laughed Night.

"You should get going; that laundry isn't going to do itself ya know!" laughed Loki.

* * *

"Did he buy it?" asked Heimdall. 

"Hook, line and sinker. Now all we have to do is wait until he sings that 'My Immortal' song."

**"_Good thing I know the words…"_** muttered Kaito.

They had to wait a while, but it was worth it. Finally the track that they had been waiting for played. While Night sang along with the song, a second singer joined in right when Night started to sing!

_

* * *

_

I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me

You used to captivate me  
By your resonating life  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind  
Your face it haunts  
My once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away  
All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone  
But though you're still with me  
I've been alone all along

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me

* * *

When Night finished the song he felt strange. Like something had just resonated with his soul and had become one with him. It was too creepy for him to handle. He quickly finished the laundry and went back inside; still freaked out by the incident. That night as he slept, he found out what really happened to him. 

**(By the way, I don't own the song. It's from an Evanescence CD "Fallen", and the song is "My Immortal".)**


	13. Back to my normal routine

**Back my normal routine**…

Author—well I haven't done one of these in a while. But I might return to my old habit of taking a break every thirteenth chapter…

Night—what are you going to have me do to Loki?  
Author—wouldn't you like to know!

Hati—I just want to know one thing…

Author—what is it?  
Hati—where did Night come from?!

Author—about that…

Night—want me to explain it?

Author—PLEASE DO!

Night—well, originally I was in the D.N.Angel world before I started traveling across dimensions. I was introduced late into the Tale of Luna Mousey and the author decided to do a new one with me as the main character!

Author—I'll take over from here. I love doing crossovers, especially anime ones! Basically this story is a D.N.Angel x MDLR crossover. I may randomly throw the author's break in every chapter that is a multiple of 13, but I won't make any promises. (Coughs)

* * *

Loki—is there something you want to say?

Author—I wish…

Heimdall—then why did you…?

Author—(cough, cough)

Loki—O-o-kay…

Author—oh shut up Loki. And that goes for you too, Heimdall! (Begins coughing even more. Norse gods haven't figured out why she is coughing so much.)

Kaito—_**you're sick, aren't you…**_

Author—'bout damn time someone figured it out! (Glares at Loki and Heimdall.)

* * *

Heimdall and Loki—eep!

(Author pauses her typing to take cough/throat medicine. It helps, but doesn't stop the coughing.)

Author—much better. (cough)

Loki—no it isn't. You're still coughing…

Author—THAT DOES IT! COME HERE YOU LITTLE…!

* * *

(Loki runs away from enraged author while the others are rolling on the floor laughing. Author returns and gives them a warning look…)

Author—if you lot don't stop laughing, I'm soooo gonna kill you!

(Characters are laughing too hard to hear her…)

Enraged Author—WHY I OUTTA! YOU ARE ALL DEAD MEAT WHEN I…

(Has to stop yelling due to coughing fit. Characters stop laughing when author yells at them.)

Night—I've been meaning to ask this, but why did you have me singing while I do the chores?!

Author—I type weird things when I'm really bored. That and it gave me an excuse to type the lyrics to my fav songs.

Kaito—**_why were you swearing earlier?_**

Author—if I told you, I'd have to kill off your character…

Migardsomr—_Word has been giving her grief recently. Cursing it out loud makes it easier to deal with._

Author—(yet another coughing fit) I better get back to the story so I can take some more cough medicine…


	14. Kaito vs Shadow

**Kaito vs. Shadow**

When Night was asleep, he went into his own dreams. There he met his new alter ego Kitsune Kaito. He was stunned at the sight before him.

"Who…who are you?" he finally asked.

**"You may call me Kaito. Heimdall and Loki went through a lot of trouble to bring me into this world…"**

"Why?"

**"They made me so I could protect you from Shadow. Though they did have a difficult time figuring out how to merge with you…"**

"So that's why…now it makes sense!"

**"That song that you sang bound us together."**

"Figures…so where do you belong?"

* * *

It was then that Shadow made his presence known. He cackled evilly.

"Shit. How did you escape this time?!" growled Night.

**"_This is a dream world you idiot. Anything is possible in here!"_**

**"He does have a point you know…"**

"Who's side are you on?!"

Shadow took flight and attempted to dive-bomb Night. Kaito used his own magic to get in front of Shadow and does a surprise attack.

**"_WHAT! HOW DARE YOU GET IN MY…"_**

Kaito let loose his dark magic in Shadow's face and then kicked his opponent down to the ground. Night was having mixed emotions about this newbie. He didn't know whether to fear him or to cheer him on!

* * *

Shadow was pissed. This newbie comes in here and starts trouble! He decided to teach little 'Kaito' a lesson he'll never forget.

**"_So you think that you're better than me because of a few lucky hits. Amateur…"_ taunted Shadow as he prepared for Kaito.**

**"Whatever…"**

Kaito went in for the kill, only to be knocked back by a large burst of dark energy! Shadow smirks and continues his assault on Kaito.

"Kaito…I've got to help him!" said Night. He took flight and caught Kaito before he crashed on the ground. Kaito was surprised at Night's actions and almost asked why he did it.

* * *

"You okay?"

**"I've been blasted by a nonstop barrage of evil energy…what do you think?!"**

* * *

Night chuckled at his reaction. At least the new guy had a sense of humor…

"I'll need your help to seal him back again. Are you up to it?"

Kaito nodded and took flight once more. Then he let loose an attack that caught Night completely off-guard!

**"EYE OF ICE AND SNOW!"** cried Kaito as his _right eye_ unleashed a devastating blast of frozen wind.

"What the…? Is that Heimdall's missing right eye?!"

**"I have both his right eye and your left one. They spent a lot of time on my form."**

* * *

The battle raged until well past 6 in the morning. It almost seemed as if Night were done for when…

**"VEIL LUVIDROK!"** said Kaito as he used one of Loki's attacks.

**"_What the hell is this?! LET ME GO YOU TEME!!"_**

**"Not a chance. You'll leave Night alone from now on, GOT IT?!"**

* * *

Night woke up shortly after that. He felt bruised all over and wondered whether or not it was worth the effort of getting out of bed this morning. Hati and Jormund were still sleeping like logs at the foot of the bed. Night started to get up, then decided against it and went back to sleep. He didn't wake up until the next day. 


	15. Where Argentine?

**Where's Argentine?!**

When Night finally did get up, he was ready to face the gods (Quite literally in fact!) But something was different. He went to ask Argentine if he was okay when he realized that _Argentine had completely disappeared!_

"Argentine?! What's happened to you? Where did you go?!" said Night quietly. This was disturbing, to say the least. He needed to talk to the two gods, _now_.

* * *

"Alright you two. What did you do with Argentine?!" he growled.

"What are you talking about? We didn't do anything to him!" said Loki.

"Then where did he vanish to? I wake up and he's NOT there!"

**"Actually, it is partially their fault that Argentine is gone. But they didn't know about the little problem with too many alter egos…" **said Jormund. He obviously knew something like this would happen.

"What happened to him?" asked Night.

"Kaito took Argentine's place as your 'good' alter ego. In other words, Argentine is free from you!" barked Hati.

"But where did he go?"

**"He's most likely back in your home world. He's from the same world as you, so it's the most logical place to run back to."**

"You okay Night?" asked Loki and Yamino.

"Yeah…I'll be fine," Night replied.

* * *

Night was distant all day. Loki was beginning to worry; maybe giving Night a new alter ego wasn't a good idea after all…

That night, Loki's unspoken question was answered by Jormund and Kaito.

_

* * *

Did we really do the right thing? Loki thought._

**"_What you did was the best choice you could have made."_**

"Kaito! What are you…?"

**"_We know you're concerned about Night. But Argentine was destined to leave his soul soon enough anyway. At least now Night has a fighting chance against his father…"_**

"Wait a minute…did you say 'we'?!"

**"Yes-s-s, Loki, 'we'. Argentine is-s s-similar to Dark and Krad. He's-s-s doomed to be s-s-separated from the hos-s-st body at s-s-some point. S-s-shadow, on the other hand, is-s-n't bound by this-s-s rule."**

"Jormund, could you do me a big favor?" asked Loki.

**"Depends-s-s on what the favor is-s-s."**

"Could you please stop hissing the 's' sound? It's getting annoying. That, and it's hard to understand what you're trying to say!"

**"If it's so annoying, all you had to do was ask earlier. It's an old habit for me to hiss on the 's' sound."**

"Thank you…now, back to Argentine," said Loki.

**"_Since Shadow isn't bound by the separation rule; he stays in the host body until death. If he causes a premature death, then he can take over the host body completely and kill the host! If you hadn't put me in when you did, Night may not have survived to adulthood."_**

"But what about Argentine?"

**"Are you really that concerned about him?"**

"Yes; it's our fault that he left prematurely…" said Loki.

**"Would you consider leaving this world for a short period of time to see him for one final time?"**

"If it cheers up my friend, then yes."

**

* * *

"_What about you, Heimdall?"_**

"Same."

"Heimdall! I didn't know you were still around!"

"I stayed around to see what would happen. If you leave here, then I'm coming with you!"

"When do we leave, Jormund?"

**"_We leave in one week. Be sure to have your affairs dealt with by then."_**


	16. Returning home

**Returning home**

"Night, is there anything we should know before we leave?" asked Loki.

"Actually, I do have one thing I want you two to do."

"What?" asked the 2 gods.

"Could you two try not to use your god-like powers in public? I don't want us to blow our cover too soon," said Night.

"Define god-like powers…" said Loki.

"No summoning familiars, no controlling people and no seducing people! GOT THAT?!" growled Night with a look at Heimdall and Loki.

"Yes…" griped the two. To them, this meant that they wouldn't be allowed to have _any_ fun while they were away!

"We'll take care of things here, Master Loki!" said Yamino sadly. (He and Fenrir _really_ wanted to go with them!)

"Here we go!" said Night as he opened up the portal to his world. Loki and the other travelers were sucked into the vortex and the portal closed behind them.

"I hope they're okay there…" said Yamino.

* * *

"WOAH!" said Heimdall and Loki as the fell from the portal. 

"We're here!" said Night happily.

The gods looked around them in amazement. It was so similar to their world, but it was so different at the same time!

"Wow…" said Heimdall.

* * *

"Hati, come here a minute…" said Night before the wolf wandered off. He put a collar around the wolf's neck and Hati whined. 

"It's either you wear a collar, or you're mistaken for a stray. Your choice…" said Night.

"What about Jormund?! Why doesn't he have to wear a collar?!" growled Hati.

"He's a snake. The only way I could carry him around is on my neck. He's too big to follow me in public; if people saw him they'd think he escaped from the zoo and shoot him!" answered Night.

**"Where do I meet up with you?"** Jormund asked.

"Let's see…I wonder if Star would let me borrow her apartment…"

"Star?" said the two gods.

"My little sister. I can't think of anywhere else to stay that's safe from my father…I know for a fact that mom would kill me if I brought a huge snake into the house!"

"Why's that?" asked Loki.

"Emiko likes snakes about as much as she does the Hikari family."

"Which means…?"

"She hates snakes. In case you haven't noticed, girls and snakes don't mix!" replied Night dryly. Jormund chuckled.

Night took out his laptop and sent his sister an e-mail. Luckily for them, she was home and on her e-mail account. They started an IM board to talk things over.**

* * *

PhantomLoki—**sis, we need a place to stay 

**StarLight**—define 'we'…

**PhantomLoki**—me and a few new friends. We came here for something important and I know mom won't let me keep one of my pets anywhere near the house

**StarLight**—what kind of pet?  
**PhantomLoki**—serpent

**StarLight**—how big is he?  
**PhantomLoki**—he rivals Migardsomr from Norse Mythology. But he can change size so he will be easier to transport

**StarLight**—I'll asked Satoshi if I can stay at his house. I don't mind you borrowing the apartment at all

**PhantomLoki**—thanks sis

**StarLight**—how long are you lot planning on staying? If it's a long time then I'll help you get the apartment next door

**PhantomLoki**—how big is the place?  
**StarLight**—big enough to put in a soccer field

**PhantomLoki**—that might be a better idea. Is there anything else I should know about it?

**StarLight**—it doesn't have a shower. Only a bathtub

**PhantomLoki**—that's okay. We'll still take the place. When can we come?

**StarLight**—I kinda bought that apartment along with this one…so you can come over right away! How long until you get here?

(Night looks at their surroundings and estimates how long it will take to get there. Then he sent another IM)

**PhantomLoki**—we're at the cliff, so around half an hour or so

**StarLight**—I'll meet you at my house. See ya then!

* * *

Night close the IM window and looked at his friends 

"I got good news! We have a place to stay until we leave! And there's more than enough room for all of us. But you two better not revert to your normal sizes there, got it?" he said to his 'pets'. They nodded in agreement and set off to his sister's house.


	17. Shadow vs the gods

**Shadow vs. the gods**

**"_It can't be…can it?"_** muttered Shadow. He double checked and realized that it wasn't something he imagined.

**"_So that fool returned…now I can properly thank him for all the grief he's given me! I shall have a new body!"_** roared Shadow into the night.

* * *

"Did you feel that Heimdall?" muttered Loki.

"Yeah…what do you think it was?" whispered Heimdall.

"Shadow…the real one. He already has a physical form here, remember?"

"Should we…?" whispered Heimdall.

"No…let's have him come to us and not the other way around…"

"You two want to get left behind _and_ hopelessly lost?!" yelled Night.

"We're coming!" they yelled as they tried to catch up.

* * *

"Welcome back, nii-san!" said Star happily.

"Hey sis! Meet my friends!" said Night.

"Who are the pipsqueaks?"

"They're Loki and Heimdall. The one with purple hair is Heimdall and the kid with the green eyes is Loki. This wolf is my newest friend Hati and the serpent I mentioned is Migardsomr, but we call him Jormund for short."

"Nice to meet you!"

**"The pleasure is ours, Ms. Hikawa…" **replied Jormund.

"Night, why didn't you mention that your pets talk?!"

"We're not his pets!" barked Hati while he thought angrily, '_it's bad enough that I have to wear a blasted collar, but to be called a PET?! That's where I draw the line!_'

**

* * *

"_FOUND YOU!"_ roared Shadow as he swooped down upon Night and the others.**

"What the hell?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TWO MENTION THAT HE WAS COMING?!" growled Night angrily.

"Relax, we'll deal with this idiot. You protect your little sister!" said Loki.

"Wait a minute…what do you mean PROTECT me?!" said Star, furious.

"_I have a better idea. How about all of us deal with this TEME?"_ said Kaito.

"What the…Night, you've got some major explaining to do when this is over!" said Star as she transformed into her alter ego.

**"_So you finally rid yourself of that annoying pest Argentine…now I can take what is rightfully mine!"_** cackled Shadow.

"Care to rephrase that, you cold-hearted bastard?!" roared Migardsomr as he quickly grew into his true size.

"_Hati, whatever you do, don't manipulate the Moon! That will only give him more power!"_ said Kaito.

**"_It doesn't matter whether or not you defeat me boy; for soon I shall take what you so foolishly denied me!"_**

* * *

"_AARGH!!!" _yelled Kaito, holding his heart; Shadow gave an arrogant smirk when, _"Psych! You no longer have a foothold in me, fiend!"_

**"_Impossible…no one has the power to remove a curse passed down by blood! No one except…it can't be!"_**

"_Shadow, meet Loki, the god of Tricks, Mischief and flame, and Heimdall, the guardian to the gates of Asgard, the World of the Gods. You can thank them for sealing away your dark curse…"_ said Kaito with a sadistic and evil smile.

**"**_**Did you say LOKI?! As in the same idiotic god you named yourself after?!"  
**"WHAT WAS THAT?! WHO'S IDIOTIC?!"_ bellowed Loki as he returned to his true form. Heimdall wisely stayed out of the argument and went with Hati inside the apartment.

**"_You are a true idiot…you only use your evil powers to cause Mischief and you actually HELP mortals instead of ruling them. What kind of evil god are you?!"_** retorted Shadow.

"_Kaito, leave this fool to me. He's going to learn why the gods fear me…"_ said Loki angrily.

Kaito chuckled and said, _"Come on Star, let's go inside. Hey Loki, could you do me an EVIL favor?"_

"_Does the favor involve some serious payback?"_

"_Do you have any of your famous ITCHING POWDER with you? The longer the better!"_

"_Will do. You better get inside before I unleash it though…I didn't bring the antidote with me."_

* * *

As the rest of them stayed safely inside the apartment with the windows closed, Loki let loose the dreaded "10 year itching powder" all over the evil Shadow; its effect was instantaneous.

**"**_**What the hell is this accursed powder?!"** _said Shadow as he futilely tried to rid himself of the itch. As the creator of the powder, Loki himself was immune to its affects. When it was safe to open the doors again, Loki came inside as his childish form; his cocky, sadistic, evil grin all over his face! Everyone was on the floor laughing their heads off at Shadow's misery. Shadow learned a valuable lesson that night…**NEVER MESS WITH THE DARK GOD OF MISCHIEF AND TRICKS.**


	18. Time traveling hell

**Time traveling hell**

After everyone recovered from laughing, Night turned serious.

"Star, how far along is…"

"They just took a trip to where the Daisuke had his first run in with Krad."

"WHAT! How…? When…?!"

"Time travel's a real pain-in-the-ass isn't it, nii-san?" chuckled Star evilly.

"What's wrong this time Night?" asked Heimdall.

"When I left home it was close to the class play. Now I'm back right after Daisuke first runs into Krad?! It means that I have to go through four months of school all over again!" moaned Night.

"Why's that?" barked Hati.

**"Argentine doesn't show up until _after_ the school play. We're stuck here until then,"** answered Jormund.

"But why does he have to go to school?" asked Heimdall.

"If I don't, then people will be suspicious and might come after me."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" said Loki.

"I know…I can't be seen by myself…" muttered Night.

**"If that's the case, Hati or myself shall travel with you…"** said Jormund.

"That's not what he meant." Star said quietly.

"What did he mean then?" barked Hati.

**"So you meant that literally then…"**

"Meant what? I'm really confused now…" whimpered Hati.

"We'll explain later. First we need to get you back to school!" laughed Star.

"Which one?" said Night evilly.

* * *

Two days later Kaito got ready for his 'first' day of school. Night told him to bring the comp or there'd be hell to pay when the day was over! (Night never went anywhere without his laptop anymore…)

"_Well, I'm off."_

"Kaito, I have a word of advice for you…" said Heimdall.

"_Yes?"_

"Fix your voice. You'll alert Satoshi and Daisuke too soon if you sound like that!"

"_Ahem…_**Is this better?"**

"Try again."

**"(Cough)…**how about now?"

"That's a lot better. Now no one will no that you're not really human!" said Loki.

* * *

"What are we going to be doing all day Loki?" asked Heimdall.

"I can answer that for you…" said Star from the doorway.

"Well?"

"Since Star isn't completely bound to me, she'll show you around. And more importantly…" said Star with a certain look in her eyes.

"Uh-oh…" said Loki. He knew what that look meant.

"What?" asked Heimdall. (Clueless…)

"We better start running now Heimdall…"

"Why?" asked Heimdall worriedly.

"Because if we don't we'll be forced to go…(gulps)…_shopping with a girl!_"

"Oh shit…Let's get the hell out of here!" said Heimdall as they both attempted to run from their worst nightmare.

**"Going somewhere boys?"** said Jormund sadistically. He grabbed Loki by the shirt while Hati nabbed Heimdall.

"There can be no escape now…Hehehe…" said Star.

"If I have to suffer through lessons I've already done, the YOU'LL have to suffer shopping with the Hikawa guardian. Be grateful Luna is coming or you'd really be in trouble!" Kaito laughed cruelly.

"Traitor…" muttered the two helpless chibi-gods.


	19. First day of torture

**First day of torture**

"Class, we have a new transfer student! His name is Kaito Loki." The teacher announced.

"Konnichiwa!" greeted the class.

"K-konnichiwa…" said Kaito nervously.

"Kaito-san, please take the seat behind Satoshi. Class will begin at the bell."

"Is your name really Kaito Loki?" said Satoshi suspiciously.

"Hai…" said Kaito. (Nervous much?)

"Hmm…"

* * *

At the open market…

"You two doing okay?" asked Star.

"Remind me how we agreed to this?" grumbled Heimdall under four heavy sacks.

"Define agreed…" retorted Loki.

"Now, now boys…no fighting…" said Star, snickering.

_

* * *

Flashback to one hour ago…_

"What do you mean we have to?!" yelled Heimdall.

"Exactly what you think it means, runt. Either you go and carry the bags or else."

"Do we really want to know…" mumbled Loki.

"Or else what?!"

"Either come along without a fight or you two have to hug each other!"

"WHAT!" yelped the two rivals!

The 2 gods could hear Hati and Jormund laughing their heads off. The only thing on the two god's minds was, "_When we get back, those two are soooo dead!!!"_

_End flashback…_

* * *

"So, Kaito, where are you from?" asked Risa.

"Norway." Kaito lied.

"You don't sound that foreign to me…" said one of the other girls.

"I was born in Norway and raised here," he lied while thinking, _"Well, technically it is halfway true…"_

**

* * *

Quit acting so nervous you baka! Satoshi already suspects us; there's no need to have Dark on alert as well!**

_Easy for you to say! You weren't literally created by the gods!_

**Want me to take over? Let me handle the talking while you do the rest…**

_I don't know how you do this…_

* * *

"So what're your parent's names?" asked Satoshi.

Night counteracted by saying, "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours…"

**

* * *

Woah…that was one nice save!**

_What do you mean Dark?_

**Countering a potentially dangerous question with a thinly veiled one of your own; that guy's good!**

* * *

Three hours later school ended; Kaito went straight to the apartment to check on Loki and the others. When he opened the door he found…only Hati and Jormund?!

"Where're Loki and Heimdall?!"

**"They went shopping with a female. Where do you think they would be?!"** retorted Jormund.

"Right behind me with a bunch of heavy bags full of useless junk."

"Please tell me this whole day has been a nightmare worse than Freyr's singing!" groaned Loki.

"Consider yourselves lucky. If it had been a younger girl in her teens then it would have been a _LOT_ worse!"

"I'm soooo glad this day is over!" groaned Heimdall.

"No it isn't. Not for you two at least; you still have to carry the other bags in," said Star.

"Bring on Ragnarok and end this!" said the two in dismay.

"I'll do it. You've been through enough hell for one day…"

Heimdall and Loki collapsed into two heaps and were sleeping so soundly that even Freyr's bad singing couldn't have woken them up. Kaito chuckled as he carried the bags in. Their first day of torture had finally ended.


	20. Phantom Thief against Phantom Thief

**Phantom thief against "Phantom Thief"**

Two weeks of varying torture have passed since they arrived; Loki and Heimdall were actually thinking starting Ragnarok prematurely to end their own private hell. They only thing that kept them going was creating more and more sadistic ways to pay back the constantly smirking, always gloating, Hati and Jormund. Kaito and Night had no problem and helped them on most of the plans!

* * *

Then, Night's worst nightmare happened. His past and present collided; and all hell broke loose!

"I think it's time you started living up to your name, Kaito…" said Daisuke. (Night could see immediately that it was really Dark.)

"What do you mean, 'living up to my name'?"

"You do know what Kaito means don't you?"

"Phantom Thief if I remember correctly…" said Kaito cautiously.

"Why don't you challenge Dark? See who the better 'Phantom Thief' is?"

"I would, but I'm not about to take a dare from someone whose name is a little too similar to the Japanese phrase of 'I love you'…" said Kaito. (Ouch…that had to hurt!)

"Daisuke, you aren't going to take that lying down are you?!" said Takishi and Riku in unison.

_

* * *

Dark! Now look what you've started!_

**What? What are you groaning and moaning about now?!**

_DARK! You started this, NOW YOU BETTER FINISH IT!!! Daisuke roared to his alter ego._

**Of course I'm going to finish this! You're practically useless when it comes to thieving contests!**

_Grr…_

* * *

"Well tell the pea-brain known as Dark that if he makes the challenge, then I'll accept," said Kaito with an evil look in his eye._

* * *

NIGHT! What are you doing?!_

**I beat his sorry ass once, and I'll do it again. Besides, it's either accept or study for the pop quiz tomorrow over geometry. Your choice.**

_Bring on the challenge! _

**Thought so…**

* * *

"HE SAID WHAT?!" said Emiko in an agitated voice.

**"Exactly what I said. He made fun of Daisuke's name and called me a pea-brain."**

"That's unacceptable! Dark no matter what it takes I want you and Daisuke to win!" said Daiki.

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT?!" roared Loki and Heimdall.

"We challenged Dark to a 'Thieve Off'. He started the whole thing anyway!" said Night.

"Let me rephrase that. YOU CHALLENGED HIM AND DIDN'T INCLUDE US?!" yelled Loki.

"You're joking right?! Do you really think he'd accept a challenge from someone of your height and take it seriously?" retorted Night.

"He has a good point you know…"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP YOU OVERGROWN REPTILE!" growled Loki.

* * *

A week later the date for the challenge finally arrived. Takishi was at the museum so early that it was obvious he skipped school. When it became apparent that most of the students had done the same thing, they ended school an hour after it started. Then something even more unusual happened. A new warning notice went out to the police via e-mail. It read:

I know this is strange, but seeing as so many people are already there, why don't we get this over with and let you get back to your usual schedule?

PHANTOM LOKI IS HERE. :)

_

* * *

This just in; the creator of the 'Phantom Loki' virus has made his intentions known and has sent a friendly warning note. The question on everyone's mind is, Will Dark Follow Loki's Example and Show Early?_

* * *

"Dark, looks like you'll have to steal during the daytime. This doesn't bode well…" said Emiko.

**"Oh joy,"** said Dark with obvious sarcasm.

* * *

"Told ya he'd take the bait…sucker," said Night.

"Night…" said Heimdall.

"What's wrong now?"

"We kinda have a favor to ask of you…" said Loki.

"You want to come with…"

"Better believe it. If we don't go with you, then we'll be at the mercy of your sister!" said Loki with the (you've got to be kidding,) PUPPY-DOG EYES.

"Aw crap…you've got to be joking. I've never thought you'd stoop so low…" said Night.

"Normally I'd agree with you…but in this case I'm…(gulp)…with him on this one," said Heimdall as he also started giving him the (this is getting ridiculous) the puppy-dog eyes!

"Fine, I surrender. You can tag along on one condition. NO MORE PUPPY-DOG EYES!"

"YAY!!!!" said Loki and Heimdall.

* * *

"_Well folks, we have just received confirmation; Phantom Dark will accept the time change!"_

_The crowd was getting bigger by the minute. Daisuke and his family were getting more and more desperate. Kaito was grinning evilly; Loki and Heimdall were relieved that they were spared the humiliation of being stuck with Star yet again. But in a contest of 'Phantom Thief' against Phantom Thief, who will win?_


	21. Getting in is easier said than done

**Getting in is easier said than done**

"How are we supposed to sneak in with all these damn people around here?!" said Loki irritably.

"That, my friend, is where the secret tunnels come in!"

"What secret tunnels?" said Heimdall.

"Well, technically they're not really secret, but their location had been missing for centuries after the original architect died. If I hadn't found the original unaltered blueprints by accident while online, then I wouldn't have known about their location either. Now, back to business, Loki, are you any good at hacking into computer systems?"

"Not particularly, why?"

"Because I can't take the laptop with me _and_ remain unnoticed. How 'bout you, Hati?"

"You are my friend aren't you? I think I can manage," barked Hati. (Heimdall was the one with the leash.)

"I think I could give it a try…" said Heimdall.

"Let's test and see if you can hack into a high-security database…" said Kaito as he brought said database up.

"Why do you have that on an icon?!" said Loki in surprise.

"I get bored, what can I say?" answered Kaito with a shrug.

* * *

It took Heimdall two minutes to hack in through trial-and-error. Kaito was impressed; he said, "Alright, Heimdall you're in charge of the museum surveillance; Loki and Hati you're the distraction. I want you two to get all hell to break loose when I give you the signal. Think you can manage that?" said Kaito darkly.

"_Who do you think I am, Thor the blundering idiot? We'll cause enough chaos to make up for all the opportunities we missed since we came here!"_ laughed Loki.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this…" said Kaito, "Hati, just promise me this…DON'T MANIPULATE THE MOON OR SHOW YOUR TRUE FORM!"

Hati barked as if to say, "Fine, kill-joy…"

* * *

"Daisuke, whatever you do, don't let yourself caught!" said Emiko.

"I know mom, I know!" groaned Daisuke.

"Daisuke, go switch now…I already have the guard's outfit waiting for you," said Emiko.

"I know mom, I KNOW!" griped Daisuke.

* * *

"Daisuke, is something wrong?" asked Takashi.

"It's alright Takashi, I'm just in a bad mood right now…" said Daisuke.

"Okay…I gotta go if I want to keep my awesome spot to capture Phantom Loki!"

"What happened to catching photos of Dark?"

"Are you kidding?! I can get Dark's photo _any_ time he steals something! But this guy actually challenged Dark and I want a good picture for the school paper!"

"So what you're saying is…"

"Dark is old news. I need something great for the paper, not something that everyone's heard a thousand times already! Dark needs to up the ante if this new guy decides to go pro!"

**WHY I OUTTA! LET ME AT HIM, LET ME AT HIM!!!!**

_Down boy…_

* * *

"You there Heimdall? I'm in and ready for an update."

"_Everything's fine on this end…any trouble so far?_"

"What do you take me for, an amateur? Why waste my time actually risking my identity when I can fool Dark into doing it for me?"

"_Good point. Why do the work when you can dupe some unsuspecting baka to so it for you?_"

"Besides, he only said to steal the art and _escape_ before him; he never said that I actually had to take it from the museum! I'm gonna steal it from him after he steals it from the museum," Kaito said evilly, "Here he comes now; he's really stooped to a new low this time!"


	22. A thief gets duped

**A thief gets duped**

_Outside five minutes ago…_

"Daisuke, just don't get caught. I don't care if you loose the contest, just DON'T let them catch you!" said Daiki.

"Got it Grandpa."

"Ready Daisuke-sweetie?" said Emiko.

"Let's just get this over with…" said Daisuke.

* * *

**"Now let's see…where can I…aha!"** said Dark as he snuck in disguised as one of security guards.

There, still in its case was the agreed artwork. Dark had just opened the case after getting rid of all the security alarms when he finally noticed that he wasn't alone. He turned around, fully expecting to see the Commander.

**"WHAT THE HELL!"** yelped Dark in a hushed whisper.

"Feh, that's the BEST you can do?!" said an all too familiar voice.

**"What the…how did YOU get in before me?!"**

"I didn't waste time switching forms. Maybe if you spent less time seducing women and more time actually practicing, maybe you would have gotten the piece before me…" said Phantom Loki evilly with a smirk.

**"So what, I still beat ya!"** sneered Dark.

"Not quite. Our bet clearly said that one of us had to _take the artwork and leave before the other._ You said _nothing_ about actually getting past the alarms and then leaving. Which means, I win!" said Phantom Loki as he swiped the art before Dark could even react properly.

* * *

He vanished into the shadows and Dark was left standing with his mouth hanging open like a moron! He barely made it out of the museum before the police came to see what the ruckus was about. By the time Dark got outside, Emiko was livid.

"I don't believe this! That imposter actually had the gall to show everyone the art for everyone to see that he won!!" roared Emiko.

**"I don't believe this…that brat stole it from me _after I_ did all the real work for him!"**

"The kid is better than you thought…" said Kosuke.

**"Shaddup…"**

* * *

"Did you see the look on his face?!" said Kaito.

"That…was…hilarious!" laughed Loki.

"That makes up for all the hell we went through for the past few weeks!" said Heimdall happily.

Hati was (wagging?!) his tail back and forth happily. Loki chuckled at the sight and said, "If I didn't know any better Hati, I'd say you're becoming _domesticated_…"

The look Hati shot at him for that particular comment clearly said, "You're a DEAD MAN!"

"He has a point Hati…" said Heimdall quietly.

"Hmm…I never thought of it that way…The real question is, is being a house pet a good thing for Hati and Jormund?" murmured Kaito. Hati whined and went to his master; Kaito gently petted him and let him walk alongside with no leash. The rest of the way back to the house was spent in silence.


	23. Loki's trip to the past

**Loki's trip into the past**

When Kaito and the others went back into the apartment, they all went to bed and fell soundly asleep as their heads hit the pillows. But something happened to Loki as he lay there asleep. At first everything was fine; until he feels this strange tug through his entire body and is sent hurtling into the past!

* * *

Loki's head hits a rock as he lands. His eyes open slowly and he looks around the spot where he lay. Not only does he have _NO_ idea where he is, he also has complete amnesia! He passes out and doesn't wake up until morning. And once again, he has absolutely NO idea where he is or what his name is! The only difference that had occurred was that now he wasn't outside, but under a warm blanket.

--------

"We were wondering when you'd wake up…" said a woman. He looks up and feels safe when he sees her smile.

"Mom, is that boy awake?" asked a small red-haired boy around his age.

"Where…where am I?" asked Loki, confused.

"You're in our house. What's your name?" asked the woman.

"I…I can't remember…" he replied quietly.

"You can't remember?" said the boy in surprise.

"Daisuke, sweetie, I think he must have hit his head on the rock that was close to where we found him…" said the mother.

"What does that mean?" asked the boy who Loki assumed was called Daisuke.

"It means that he may have amnesia…" said the mother who saw the confused look on her son's face and rephrase her wording, "It means that he may have lost his memories of his past, like who he is or the name of his parents."

_

* * *

Loki had a feeling that both parents were already dead, though how he knew was unclear. He also felt that he had family who would be looking for him._

* * *

"Now, what should we do with you? We certainly can't let you go look for your family by yourself…" said the mother.

"We could let him stay here until we find them, Emiko," said the old man from the doorway. A strange rabbit-creature jumped off his shoulder and leaped onto Loki's head. After the initial shock of having a furry critter jump on his head passed, he calmed down. The creature curled up and fell asleep. Daisuke laughed at Loki's expression when the pet appeared out of nowhere!

"Well With seems to like him!" laughed Daisuke.

"With?" said Loki confused.

"That's his name. We either call him With or Wiz, he doesn't care which," answered the old man. (Loki guessed that this was the grandfather as he was too old to be the husband.)

"Papa, what should we do?" asked Emiko, (the mother).

"Well he's more than welcome to stay here until his real family finds him!" said the grandfather.

"Then it's decided; you can stay here, 'kay?" said Emiko.

"Okay…" said Loki his eyes starting to close tiredly. Right before he fell back asleep, Wiz jumped down and curled up next to him. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was the grandfather saying, "Poor thing, the shock must have worn him out!"

_

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the present…_

"_What the hell…?! Where's Loki?!" said Kaito in shock._

"_I don't know. He was here when I went to bed last night!" said Heimdall._

"_We have to look for him… He can't have gone too far." Star said in a matter-of-fact tone._

_They went in search of the missing dark god, unaware that he was right under their noses all along!_


	24. Daisuke's brother

**Daisuke's brother**

Loki woke up, and this time he was no longer dazed and confused as to where he was. Wiz felt Loki get up; it looked up at him and cried, "Kyu!" Loki couldn't help but grin. He got up out of bed and went to the door. Emiko heard him stirring and came up to see if he needed anything. Loki had left the room by the time she got onto the top of the stairs.

---------

"Looks like someone enjoys sleeping in!" she laughed.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Around 10 o'clock. Breakfast is ready if you feel hungry," she said. As if on queue, Loki's stomach made itself known.

"I'll take that as a yes…" she laughed. She led Loki and Wiz, (who was on top of his head again,) into the kitchen. The grandfather looked up from the paper he was reading and grinned.

"Enjoy your sleep?" he joked.

"Yup!" said Loki with a grin of his own. The grandfather chuckled at the mischievous look on his face.

Emiko gave Loki a cup of tea and some eggs. She put the bowl of strawberries nearby. Loki's amusement grew as Wiz leapt off his head and nearly into the bowl! Emiko and the grandfather laughed.

"He must sure love berries…" commented Loki.

---------

After Loki finished breakfast, Emiko and the grandfather sat down in the living room. He joined them, and listened patiently as they debated on a name to call him until his memories returned. Finally they settled on "Kisuke", (They put the last part of Daisuke and the grandfather's name together.)

"So, how does Kisuke sound?" the grandfather asked, his eyes on Loki.

"It sounds cool."

"Then it's decided! Until your memories return your name is Kisuke!" said Emiko happily.

* * *

Daisuke came home from school an hour later. Kisuke's eyes shot up when he heard Daisuke's yelp of surprise!

Kisuke would have gone to see what had happened when he saw Emiko's evil grin.

_So she's responsible…_

* * *

Daisuke entered the room 15 minutes later out of breath.

"What happened to you?" said Kisuke, who was a bit startled.

"Mom's…traps…" said Daisuke between gasps.

He saw Kisuke's look and explained as he sat down.

"Mom sets these traps for me every day, once in the morning when I wake up, the next right after I come home from school. If you want to know why you'll have to ask her or grandpa!" said Daisuke wearily.

* * *

Emiko came in with some tea and a glass of ice water for Daisuke. The glass went empty in seconds.

Dinner was ready two hours later. Emiko stuck her head outside the kitchen door and said, "Kisuke, would you mind helping Daisuke set the table?"

"No problem!" called out Kisuke from the hall.

----------

"Kisuke?" said Daisuke in surprise.

"That's the name they picked when they were trying to decide what to call me…" explained Kisuke, his hands full with the plates and glasses.

"So that means your name is Kisuke Niwa! Cool! I always wondered what having a brother was like!" said Daisuke with a grin.

"Huh…I never thought of it that way," admitted Kisuke.

After dinner was finished and the dishes put away, Emiko told Kisuke, "Now we have to give you a room!"

They couldn't find a room that was already prepared, so they were a bit stuck. That is, until Daisuke remembered his room had a bunk bed!

* * *

Kisuke and Daisuke got ready and then went straight to bed. (Daisuke had top; Kisuke had bottom!)

The next morning would be Kisuke's final day of freedom. For two days later he would start every child's worst nightmare…_school!_

Emiko filled out the paperwork; the story she came up with for why Kisuke wasn't enrolled with Daisuke was simple, yet elegant. She simply told them that he had been living with an aunt for the past few years and was coming home to stay. They bought her lie hook, line, and sinker! Emiko gave Daisuke the day off from the morning and afternoon traps since Kisuke had never gone through them before.

* * *

"_Class, we have a new student today. Will you come in please?" said the teacher. A boy enters the room, his expression nervous._

"_Why don't you tell them your name?" said the teacher._

"_My name is Kisuke. Kisuke Niwa."_

"_Kisuke has been living with a relative until now. He's Daisuke's brother, so be nice to him!" the teacher glared as her last sentence held a distinct tone of warning._

"_Yes teacher…" said the class in a monotone._

"_Kisuke, you can sit next to your brother if you like."_

"_Thanks…" he mumbled as he sat down in the chair next to Daisuke._

_The introductions over, the teacher started class as normal. The rest of the school day passed uneventfully._


	25. Some fears never go away

**Some fears never go away**

It was one of the rare "no school for a few days" times, so the Niwas decided to go swimming at the beach. Kisuke had an obvious fear of water, so Daisuke tried to help him. His solution? Drag Kisuke into the water with him! Kisuke panicked at first, but quickly started to enjoy going into the water. Though swimming was another story…

----------

"Come on Kisuke, it's not _that_ hard to swim!" griped Daisuke.

"_You've_ never had a fear of water! This is my first time even going into water! Let alone swimming in it!" snorted Kisuke annoyed.

"He has a point Daisuke…" said the grandfather.

"But how can ANYONE be afraid of water?!" said Daisuke.

"I don't know _why_ I'm afraid of water… All I know is that I _really _don't like to go into it!" said Kisuke in his defense.

"I hope you get over this fear of water before school starts again!"

"Why?" asked Kisuke worriedly.

"Because when school starts up again we're gonna have a _swim test_ during the afternoon!" said Daisuke.

"WHAT! Please tell me you're joking!" said Kisuke in horror.

"Nope. And everyone else _already knows_ how to swim. If they find out that you're both afraid of the water _and_ don't know how to swim, you'll never hear the end of it!" said Daisuke.

"Ack! How am I supposed to learn how to swim in three days?!"

"Don't worry, Kisuke. We'll teach you how…" said Emiko.

* * *

Takeshi appeared suddenly while they were talking; almost as if he had a sixth sense for news…

"You really can't swim Kisuke?!" said Takeshi excitedly.

"WHA! Takeshi, don't do that!" said Kisuke in surprise.

"So is it true?"

"IS IT REALLY YOUR BUSINESS?!" growled Kisuke in an evil tone.

"Geez, Kisuke, you don't have to be so grouchy! It was a simple question!" said Takeshi annoyed.

"Takeshi, what are you doing here anyway?" asked Daisuke, changing the subject.

"This _is_ a public beach isn't it?" snorted Takeshi. (He was in a bad mood after Kisuke's reaction.)

"I have an idea. Why don't you join us, Takeshi?" said Emiko.

"Really? I'd love to!" said Takeshi, his mood suddenly improved.

* * *

After lunch, Takeshi went in search of something more interesting to report on…

"Now that that's over, why don't we get started on swimming Kisuke?" asked Emiko.

"We might as well…" mumbled Kisuke.

It took over an hour before he finally got the hang of swimming. (Or should I say 'dog paddling!) Daisuke was still worried as 'dog paddling' wouldn't cut it for the swim test. Kisuke wore himself out, and the sun went down before he started to get what might actually qualify as swimming. Emiko told them that they'd continue tomorrow in the morning.

----------

That night after dinner, Emiko raised her suspicions on why Kisuke didn't know how to swim.

"Kisuke, is it possible that your fear of water is holding you back?" she said finally. 

"Most likely. Why do you ask?" he said.

"Because if we can find out _why_ you're so afraid of water, then maybe you won't have so much trouble with swimming," Emiko answered.

"How can we do that? I don't even remember my name, let alone anything about my past!"

"Emiko, you aren't seriously considering about using _that_ spell!" said the grandfather.

"We have any choice if Kisuke wants to learn how to swim."

"But it may wipe out all of his memories instead of helping!" retorted the grandfather.

"Not if we do it right. Instead of having him face this alone, we'll be there by him to keep him safe."

"And what will you do if we all get lost in his mind?!" said the grandfather angrily.

"Fine. One of us will remain outside while the other helps him."

"Now that I'll agree to…"

* * *

And so, Emiko and Kisuke went on a journey to find the root of Kisuke's fear. But what will they uncover instead? 


	26. The truth creates MORE confusion

**The truth creates more confusion**

"So we clear on this? You two are NOT to stay if you start to forget who you are!" said the grandfather firmly.

"Yes…" said the two. Emiko and Kisuke were going into Kisuke's subconscious where his original memories lie dormant. Emiko went mainly because she was closer to him than her father. The two lay on the couches, waiting to begin. The grandfather started the spell. Kisuke fell fast asleep, Emiko soon after.

_

* * *

Kisuke's subconscious…_

Emiko stood up and walked to Kisuke who was still sleeping. She sat down next to him, careful not to awaken Kisuke unless it was absolutely necessary. Waking him would break the spell and bring them both back to reality. Kisuke's dream began with a vengeance.

_-----------_

_The first thing she noticed was that the person who was standing beside her was DEFINITELY not Kisuke. He looked to be around 20-28 years old. His hair was wavy, reddish-brown. His eyes were an emerald color, and they held a mischievous glint. The man looked down at the woman, then towards Kisuke. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the boy._

**"_Who are you, and what is going on?!"_**

"_My name is Emiko Niwa. This boy is…" _

**"**_**MY HUMAN FORM! What happened to me?!"** asked the man._

"_Your **human** form? What do you mean by that? Who are you anyway?" demanded Emiko._

"_I am Loki, the dark god of Mischief, Tricks and Fire. I was stuck in this childish form thanks to my step-brother Odin. But why did you come here? I've never had any problems with communicating with my younger self before!" he said, as he finally calmed down._

"_You've never had amnesia before either, I bet." Emiko said with a hint of amusement in her voice._

"_You're kidding, right?! Why would I have amnesia?" asked Loki._

"_My son and I found him unconscious next to a large rock with a bump on his head. We brought him home and he's been there ever since."_

_Loki groaned as he said, "Heimdall's gonna have a FIELD DAY with this one!"_

"_So his real name is Loki, is it?" said Emiko to change the subject._

"_Yes. What have you been calling him up' till now?"_

"_Kisuke. It was the best thing we could come up with in short notice. By the way, since you know what's happened, does that mean he'll remember his past?" asked Emiko._

"_Not likely. Why did you come here anyway?" asked Loki._

"_The only reason Kisuke and I came here is to find out why he's scared of the water."_

"_Is that all? The reason why he hates the water is because I'm the GOD OF FIRE. In case you haven't noticed, fire and water don't exactly mix."_

"_So does this mean you DON'T want him to learn how to swim?" said Emiko amused._

"_Wait… Are you trying to teach him swimming?! There's something that many who know me would pay to see! I'll see what I can do about the water problem," said Loki, his usual playboy grin on._

"_So will Kisuke be able to talk to you from now on?" asked Emiko._

"_Only when he's sleeping. I can't speak to him while he's awake."_

"_I guess I should be heading back…" said Emiko nervously. Something about Loki made her very uneasy._

"_Allow me to assist you," Loki said smoothly._

_He sent a rather cold bucket of water pouring down on the sleeping Kisuke. He woke up with a yell, and just barely saw his true form before he was pulled back into reality._

* * *

"That was certainly unexpected…" said Emiko when she opened her eyes.

"Who was that guy I saw before we woke up?!" said Kisuke in shock.


End file.
